Freelancer in the Ninja World

Zetsu's comment left Uzumaki Senshi rather speechless.

He had plenty of information about Mui that he hadn't shared—and felt no need to. But as long as one understood Mui well enough, they would know he wasn't putting on an act this time.

After Zetsu voiced his doubts, Pain and the rest of Akatsuki turned their attention to Senshi and Kakuzu.

Senshi merely smiled and said calmly:

"The actual person in charge of Kusagakure now—Mui—came here with me to the Ame. He's currently staying at an inn in the Amegakure, arranged by me."

"Konan, as one of Ame's top figures, can go have a talk with him about how our villages can cooperate and develop. Whether Kusa truly submitted to the Ame will become clear once negotiations begin."

Hearing this, Zetsu's expression became a bit strained.

If Kusa's true leader wasn't genuinely bowing to the Ame, he obviously wouldn't have come all the way to the Amegakure. Plus, Senshi's details were quite convincing, so the story seemed pretty credible.

When Senshi finished speaking, Pain immediately gave orders:

"Konan, head to the inn where the Kusa envoy is staying and discuss the development and cooperation between our two villages.

Also, settle Senshi's payment."

At Pain's words, Konan handed a check—redeemable at the local money exchange—to Senshi.

[Commission Completed!]

[You have successfully subjugated Kusagakure!]

[Task Reward: 36,000 Commission Points!]

Receiving such a sizeable reward put a huge grin on Senshi's face.

Especially since he was planning to "double dip" on another profitable venture right away!

After claiming his reward, he wasted no time and immediately triggered a lottery draw:

[36,000 Commission Points deducted! Remaining Points: 302.]

[Drawing…]

A full 36 times ten-pull.

Senshi couldn't be bothered to check every single reward. He simply summoned his status panel:

[Name: Uzumaki Senshi]

[Gender: Male]

[Age: 18]

[Commission Points: 302]

[Chakra Attributes:]

• Fire (A)

• Wind (S)

• Lightning (SSSS)

• Water (A)

• Earth (S)

• Yang (S)

• Yin (S)

[Chakra Reserves: SSSS]

("Your chakra reserves have surpassed even all the Tailed Beasts, reaching the Ten-Tails' level—limitless.")

[Physical Strength: SSSS]

("Ordinary ninjutsu can no longer break your defenses.")

[Natural Energy: A]

("Natural energy is like an old friend to you; controlling it feels completely natural.")

『Rare Attributes』

[World Affinity (Shinobi World): S]

[Unlocked Abilities: Wood Release, Natural Energy Affinity, Mayfly Technique]

『Talents』

[Heavenly Thunder: Greatly increases Lightning Release affinity, raising the chance of drawing lightning-type rewards in the lottery.]

[Rumble-Rumble Fruit (Shinobi Adaptation) – Development: SSS]

『Kekkei Genkai』

[Wood Release: A]

『Ninjutsu』

• Wood Release: Wood Clone (A)

• Wood Release: Cutting Technique (A)

• Wood Release: "Link-Up House" Technique (A)

• Mayfly Technique (S)

• Substitution Jutsu (S)

• Lightning Release: Lightning Ball (S)

• Lightning Release: Lightning Clone (S)

…

Senshi scanned it.

Natural Energy?

Sage Mode?

So raising World Affinity unlocked something like that?

Mayfly Technique?

Where'd that come from? Did getting more affinity let him learn White Zetsu's moves?

He felt a bit baffled. But all of that was minor in comparison. He'd finally gotten what he wanted most: Wood Release: "Grand Villa" Technique.

Seeing that, Senshi eagerly rubbed his hands, keen to test it out. But on second thought, he turned back to Pain:

"Yo, Pain-bro—so next on the list is catching a Tailed Beast, right?"

"???"

Pain was taken aback.

Indeed, Akatsuki was planning to capture Tailed Beasts, but definitely not now.

After a brief pause, Pain shook his head:

"The organization isn't ready. Directly facing the Five Great Nations at this point would be unwise."

Senshi simply wagged his index finger:

"No, no, no. There's no need to face all five big villages."

Then he leaned in, lowering his voice:

"I know a Tailed Beast that's currently roaming free, with no Jinchūriki at the moment."

His words clearly surprised Pain.

"A wild Tailed Beast?"

Senshi nodded firmly:

"That's right. Although whether it might get a Jinchūriki in the future, who knows?"

Pain had been hesitant, but hearing that changed his mind swiftly:

"We'll capture that Tailed Beast."

They needed nine Tailed Beasts in total. Nabbing one now would complete one-ninth of their overall plan, so obviously they'd go for it.

Once he saw Pain resolve himself, Senshi eyed Pain with a grin, lightly rubbing his thumb and forefinger together:

"You get what I mean, Pain-bro."

At that, Pain felt a headache brewing. After pondering a moment, he said:

"Ten million. That's the best the organization can do at the moment; we still need funds for the Kusa alliance. Last time, you already fleeced us badly!"

[New Commission Detected!]

[Client: Nagato]

[Objective: Capture a Tailed Beast.]

[Reward: 10 million ryō]

[Difficulty: S-Rank]

[Task Bonus: 10,000 Commission Points]

Seeing this new mission, Senshi's face lit up. He was perfectly content with the payment. Why? Because he intended to double-dip.

Mui was also after a Tailed Beast—so he'd first accept the job from Pain, then approach Mui for another job. If Nagato couldn't pay more, Mui could foot some of it. And if he could push Mui to make it a long-term contract, so much the better.

After accepting Pain's commission, Senshi turned to leave. Pain watched him go, his gaze turning somewhat grim:

"Why does that guy know so many secrets? He's not only awfully familiar with Akatsuki, he also seems to know the Tailed Beasts' status in detail! Where's he getting such intel? Could there be some special investigative ninjutsu out there?"

Naturally, Senshi had no clue Pain was now viewing him with growing suspicion. He was busy mulling over intel on the Three-Tails. After a moment's thought, he realized he should bring Kisame along for maximum efficiency. The Three-Tails was in the Land of Water, and Kisame knew that territory well. For a smoother, more efficient mission, having Kisame was ideal.

Swish—

In the next instant, Senshi's body flickered right back in front of Pain.

Pain's stern, watchful expression froze for a moment.

Awkward.

He truly hadn't expected Senshi to come back right after accepting the commission.

Clearing his throat, Pain asked:

"What is it?"

Senshi answered casually:

"The Tailed Beast I'm going after is in the Land of Water. Kisame is well-versed in that area, so I'd like him to join the operation."

At that, Pain thought briefly, then nodded:

"All right."

Capturing a Tailed Beast needed to be a one-shot success with no slip-ups. If the big nations got wind of it, they'd strengthen security, making future captures much harder.

Having sorted that out with Pain, Senshi went to find Mui.

On seeing Senshi, Mui asked:

"How'd it go? When do you plan on scouting out the Tailed Beast and capturing it?"

Senshi answered straight away:

"We're leaving right now! But before that, I'd like us to sign an employment contract."

Mui: "???"

He was quite surprised by Senshi's reply. He hadn't expected him to set off for the Tailed Beast hunt so promptly. Truly a diligent man! Still, he nodded in agreement.

Seeing Mui's ready acceptance, Senshi smirked, feeling even more confident.

"Catching a Tailed Beast, you know it won't be quick and easy. I'd prefer a long-term contract—2 million ryō per month."

"Long-term employment contract…?" Mui had not anticipated that Senshi would require such a deal right before departing. Hadn't they already discussed this? But given Senshi's strength, 2 million a month was hardly unreasonable. For the Tailed Beast he'd been dreaming of…

After pondering for a bit, Mui nodded.

[Congratulations! You have earned Mui's trust!]

[Mui is now hiring you long-term to capture a Tailed Beast, paying 2 million ryō per month until you succeed!]

[Objective: Capture a Tailed Beast!]

[Reward: A SUPER DRAW once the goal is achieved!]

[When settling this long-term contract, Commission Points will be doubled!]